Did all that reading I did on our snow day burn me out? I know it's been over a week, but the answer is no. I've actually read a couple of things (although not many - busy!) but didn't have time to post until now.
I'm actually a little embarassed to admit I've never read any of the Bone comics by Jeff Smith. However, our class has remedied my omission, and I read Out from Boneville last week. It was fun; a great read for all ages. We have Out from Boneville in the new color edition, which I highly recommend (as does the author). We also have the entire series (nine issues) in one, in black and white. It's a hefty book that might scare some kids off with it's size, but it's a convenient way to get the whole story. For those of you who don't know, Bone: Out from Boneville is the story of Fone Bone & his cousins Phoney and Smiley. Phoney Bone has been banished from Boneville, and Fone & Smiley have accompanied him into the wild. They become separated when they're caught up in a swarm of locusts, and Fone finds himself alone in a mysterious valley that is home to several strange creatures. Fone becomes friends with the girl Thorn and her grandmother, and is eventually re-united with his cousins - but this is only the beginning of their adventures. Why are the Rat Creatures after Phoney Bone? Why won't anyone believe Fone about the dragon? And will they ever make it back to Boneville?
My other read was One Piece Volume 1: Romance Dawn by Eiichiro Oda. It's pirate manga! How cool is that?! It's not bad, either. Luffy wants to be a pirate more than anything. The bravery of a pirate captain using Luffy's town as a port only inspires Luffy further, but Captain Shanks refuses to let the boy join his crew. Luffy's dealings with the pirates leave him with some pretty impressive powers, however, and when Luffy grows up, he begins to put those powers to use - as a pirate! But first Luffy must gather a pirate crew, and it doesn't take long before his search uncovers some pretty impressive pirate types and leads to the defeat of the evil Captain Axe-Hand Morgan and his snivelling son!

Smith, Jeff. Bone: Out from Boneville. New York: Scholastic, 2005. ISBN 0-439-70640-8. $9.99

Oda, Eiichiro. One Piece Volume 1: Romance Dawn. San Francisco: Viz, LLC, 1997. ISBN 1569319014. $7.95

What I'm Reading: Donorboy by Brendan Halpin
On My Bookshelf: Maximum Ride by James Patterson, Claiming Georgia Tate by Gigi Amateau; Rush Hour: Sin, Vol. 1 edited by Michael Cart; I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak